Fragile
by genuinely maverick
Summary: For being indestructible, he really was quite delicate.


**For being indestructible, he really was quite delicate.**

She comes back from her date tired and crabby because yet another could-be-true-love turned out to be trash. She raises a hand to her neck where there had been chapped lips just a few minutes ago and tries to palm out the filthy feeling that always accompanied unwanted advances. She can still feel his shit eating grin on her skin, searing and demanding and dirty in the worst of ways.

All she really wants to do is take a shower and climb into bed and sleep for the next twelve hours but she finds that _nothing_ is going her way that day when she steps into her apartment to find someone already camped in her bed, looking quite comfortable as he lays there on his back. She groans.

"_Natsu_."

"Lucy."

"Go home, Natsu. Seriously. Like right now."

He lifts himself onto his forearms and fixes her with a frown that looks out of place on his normally grinning face. She drops her purse on her desk, sinking into her swivel chair with a sigh. Natsu doesn't move.

"What's that smell?" he asks. He says it like an accusation. Of course his nose would catch the remnants of _Alexander_ on her.

She doesn't justify him with an answer. She wants to forget it all. She doesn't want Natsu, of all people to know. It just sounds so intimate. It's the smell of men's cologne and after-diner mints and being too close for a first date. It's the smell of botched romancing and stares too lewd for a public restaurant and double meanings behind conversations that should have had her running for the door _much _earlier. Man does she want a shower.

"What happened on your date?" She hears him get up and cross the room towards her. He stops halfway there. "Did he do something?"

She looks up at him, tired and not in the mood for impromptu interrogations. His eyes narrow. "What did he do?" There's a dangerous flare to him right now that she doesn't really have the energy to defuse. She really doesn't want to do damage control for another one of his rampages over her harassers.

"Nothing," she tells him, "He just wasn't what I thought."

Natsu comes to stand beside her chair, nose twitching as he works to locate the anomaly scent on her. His eyes find her neck. She watches his frown drop into a glare at the probably already forming hickey in the bend of her shoulder. "I don't like it when they treat you like..."

He doesn't finish the thought, but she gets it anyway. Natsu had seen the worst of her woes, been there long enough to see men objectify and sexualize her and treat her like_ something less_. He'd cracked skulls for that very reason. He'd always been angrier than her about things like that.

"It's okay, Nastu. Really, I'm fine."

She stands and places a hand on his shoulder, hoping it anchors him enough to keep him from doing something stupid.

He looks at the floor. "I just don't like it..."

She pulls him into a hug she realizes she desperately needed, relaxing as he immediately returns the embrace, warm and safe and familiar. He leans over her, his head on her shoulder and exhales on her skin and it seems deceivingly like a comfortable sigh as she runs a hand over his back in small, slow circles, hoping to get him calm enough to insure that nothing would be destroyed tonight (save her dwindling expectations of men...). He sighs again.

It doesn't really make sense, what he does next. Something big and ugly is boiling in him and he needs to get rid of it somehow because it's weighing him down in a way that feels itchy and tense. He really has no reason to feel this way. It's confusing and the confusion only makes him angrier because _why. _Nothing really makes sense anymore. That makes him angry too. He needs some kind of venting for all this weird frustration and anguish and Lucy's neck is _right there_ and so is that yellow-brown little eye shaped bruise that definitely isn't his and yeah, that'll do it.

Lucy winces and shrieks at the feeling of his canines sharp on her flesh.

The whole thing happens quick enough so that he barely has time to understand it himself what he's just done nor regret it as he quickly makes an exit, swiftly avoiding any punishment Lucy could have dished out. Lucy obviously doesn't understand it either, from the gaping look she sends after him as he leaps out the window. She doesn't actually realize what just happened until Natsu's already through the window and out into the spring night.

She crosses her arms as her shock melds into viscous anger. When she's done being absolutely offended, she sinks bonelessly back into her chair, her fingers prodding gently at the angry bite mark she's sure will bruise. She realizes the chomp was right over Alexander's unwanted hickey. For some reason it's a lot less of a burden when it belongs to Natsu instead.

It hurt, a lot, and she wonders what brought it on. She's definitely going to give him an ear full tomorrow, probably a desperately needed lecture on propriety and personal space as well, but for now, all she can remember are his teeth sinking into her skin, searing and demanding in a way that makes her smile at the absolute absurdity, just a little.

* * *

><p>The next mission they go on he has to carry her home from on his back because she's sprained something or broken something else and has probably done some permanent damage. Natsu is oddly quiet, which is making her pretty uncomfortable. They'd managed to make it out with minimal destruction in their wake. Full pay. Definitely cause for celebration. Lucy doesn't know why Natsu seems so moody. She wraps her arms tighter around his midsection, wondering what's got his goat.<p>

"What's wrong, Natsu?" Happy beats her to the chase, hovering close to the dragon slayer's face as the exceed gives him a thorough inspection.

He flashes a smile that looks completely normal, but there's something in his eyes that's doesn't quite sell it, "Nothing's wrong."

Happy seems content with that. Lucy decides not to push it. He's probably just hungry, anyway.

When they arrive back at the guild, Lucy gets fixed up right away. She has a nasty fracture in her leg and she winces as they secure a cast around it, promising in gentle coos that with the potion she'd taken (which had tasted like mud) it will only be on for about two weeks. They allow her crutches instead of the wheel chair alternative. She'd probably die of embarrassment if she had to be rolled around everywhere.

Natsu hovers over her throughout the entire process, watching with a severe kind of intensity that makes Lucy feel strangely awkward. She feels like an experiment with the way shes been poked at and observed. Usually she'd love the attention, but right now she kind of wants to be alone.

Despite the protests of many of her guildmates, Lucy insists she can walk home. The crutches are hard to get used to, though, and after the first stumble she takes, Natsu simply throws her over his shoulder her and carries her home, ignoring several indignant whines and questions about his sanity. She's not so sure she's okay with being man handled like this, but something in the way he's looking straight ahead with no waver in his dark eyes has her finally accepting her fate. It really does beat walking, after all. She kind of likes him taking care of her, no matter how unconventional his methods are.

He doesn't allow her to do anything once they get to her apartment, despite the fact that her place is a disaster. He takes the chance to showcase his inabilities with chores and cooking. He nearly burns the house down trying to make some pancakes and they end up eating dry cereal huddled close on the floor because cornflakes are all she has left at this point and Natsu doesn't understand personal space. She doesn't mind. She likes cereal and Natsu is warm.

When she goes to bathe he sits against the bathroom door, asking if she's okay at random intervals and driving her thoroughly insane.

She doesn't protest when he carries her to her bed, or when he crawls in next to her, careful not to disturb her injured limb. They'd crossed a line at some point, everyone knew. Lucy knows. She wonders if Natsu understands the full extent of every rule they're breaking when he climbs into her bed with her in the middle of the night. Lucy, born and bred with her silver spoon, certainly wasn't raised for this kind of behavior. She wasn't raised with the blurred lines, with the casual touches or close proximities. She distinctly remembers hearing about Natsu and Erza bathing together when they were younger. Her father would have been outraged.

He reaches and turns off the lamp on her nightstand, settling down beside Lucy with his hands folded behind his head. It takes a while for Lucy's eyes to adjust to the dark, but when they do, she's a bit put off by the sight of the serious frown he's been wearing since they'd started home.

"Honestly, Natsu, what's the matter?"

He's silent for moment. "It makes me angry when you get hurt."

The quietness of his voice unsettles her even more. "It's not that bad," she tells him. Besides, he'd gotten the life beaten out of him countless times. He has no right to get upset over an ankle.

"It makes me feel like something bad's gonna happen to you."

She sighs. "I can take care of myself, Natsu."

How many times had she been made out to be the damsel in distress. Or even worse, _Natsu's_ damsel in distress. Lucy was Fairy Tail's princess, she'd already accepted that. Sure, she needs a bit more saving than most of her guildmates, but it's not like she isn't a capable mage. She'd come to terms with that too. She just wished everyone else's understanding of her would catch up.

"And, yeah, I know that. Of course you can. You're strong, Luce, I'm not sayin' you aren't, but bad things happen sometimes. Things we can't control. I don't want bad things to happen to you."

He can be such a dork sometimes, she swears. She can't help the smile that comes to her face at his confession, and she reaches over to run her fingers through his spiked hair in soothing motions. She wonders how someone so strong could need so much reassurance all the time.

"I can take care of myself," she says again.

He huffs, obviously unsatisfied with that answer, but doesn't say anything else.

"...besides, I've got you to look after me, dummy. Nothing bad's going to happen if you stick close."

He rolls over so he's face to face with her, staring her down. Lucy wiggles a little under the full attention of his gaze and feels relieved when he finally cracks a smile, maybe for the first time all day. "You're such a wierdo, Luce."

* * *

><p>It was a long shot, she'll admit, but she was feeling up for it and Carlisle isn't too hard on the eyes. And besides, she hasn't worn this dress in ages. So what if it was a long shot? She has good aim.<p>

The party blurs around her, everything glamorous and shiny. Pretty boys with charming smiles dance with pretty girls in long dresses, and it's a sudden realization that tonight, Lucy is one of them. She doesn't stand out as much as she thought she might. She looks aristocratic, can speak the lingo, act like the blueblood she was raised to be. She fits right in.

Carlisle leads her around the ballroom, introducing her to bigwigs from all over Fiore and Lucy smiles politely and tries not to completely zone out when her date launches into seasoned political talk with them. An hour into the party, Lucy excuses herself to the restroom. She makes for the exit instead.

It was a long shot. And this party was no Fairytail party. She doesn't think she'll be missed.

Her date was a considerable step up from the last, but he still left some things to be desired. He was a gentleman, sweet and kind and beautiful. But would he crawl into her bed in the middle of the night? Call her his partner, his best friend? Carlisle was perfect. But he was no Natsu.

Lucy stands in the chill of night outside the building, takes off her heels and tries to regain some feeling in her toes. She'd always said she wanted perfect, but isn't that what she'd run away from in the first place?

"Lucy!"

She turns to see none other than Natsu himself jogging towards her. He's grinning.

"Natsu? What are you doing here?"

"I've been looking everywhere for you. There's a job I wanna do. You won't believe what it pays," he looks her up and down, "Why are you dressed like that?" his eyes narrow, "Were you out with a guy?"

She begins a barefoot walk away from the party, leaving Natsu and his accusation behind. Sensitive salamander. "Nope. So where are we going?"

He has to run to catch up with her, "I don't know yet. I didn't really read the description," he frowns at her, "You were out with a guy, weren't you."

"Who knows? Where's Happy, anyway?"

"Happy's meeting us at the guild. And _you_ know, Lucy, you were the one doing whatever you were doing so were you with a guy or not?"

She looks at him. He's pouting. The sight almost makes her laugh. "I'm here with you now, though, so why does it matter?"

And it only takes him a second to process what she'd said and put his toothy smile back in place. He grabs her hand as he starts running again, dragging her along with him, pulling her down into his know-not and imperfection. And Lucy smiles.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yep. So this has been in my documents since the dawn of time and I basically just proofread before posting, so I may come back and tweak stuff later. I feel like the ending is super weak, so something may be done about that. I hope the ooc-ness wasn't <em>too <em>distracting (and if was I'm sorry). Reviews are love! Thank you for reading and I hope you smile lots today (or tonight, depending)!**


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